NUCLEAR REACTIONS

NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL > MAY/JUNE 2017

One of the perks of writing the Nuclear Reactions column is that I get to write about a wide variety of nuclear-related topics. I also get the opportunity on occasion to point out
linkages (or differences) between seemingly unconnected topics.

This column squarely fits into this latter category.

Two recent items caught my attention related to the “next
generation” of nuclear professionals that prompted me to opine
here on the perils and the promise of youth.

The first relates to Transatomic Power, a nuclear startupspun out of MIT in 2011 to pursue commercialization of a molten-salt reactor thatpurportedly could run on spent nuclear fuel at efficiency levels many times higherthan conventional reactors. A white paper published in 2014 claimed that the reactorconcept would be able to “generate up to 75 times more electricity per ton of mineduranium than a light water reactor.”Transatomic became something of a sensation in the nuclear and new energy fields,leading to an influx of venture capital that has sustained the company’s growth andevolution over the past several years. The promise of recycling nuclear waste addedgreen cachet to the company, burnishing a favorable public image.

That cachet has taken a hit in recent months. As reported in MI T Technology Review
in February, the company is backtracking from certain claims based on an analysis by
Kord Smith, an MIT professor and nuclear physics expert. “In early 2016, we realized
there was a problem with our initial analysis and started working to correct the error,”
said Transatomic CEO Leslie Dewan in an email response to MIT Technology Review.

The efficiency claim has been dramatically reduced; instead of the 75X advantage,
Transatomic now lays claim to only “more than twice” with its reactor concept. Just as
striking is the company’s retraction regarding recycling; Transatomic now states that their
design will not reduce stockpiles of spent nuclear fuel or even use them as a fuel source.

To its credit, Transatomic has owned up to the errors and re-done its analysis
acknowledging the “reduced” advantages. And if Transatomic can develop a reactor
that increases efficiency by even 2X, that would remain a remarkable technical
achievement.

The second item relates to a new mobile phone app that attempts to apply millennial
technology to nuclear advocacy. Most of us have probably had conversations with
strangers or casual acquaintances where nuclear power has come up and we’ve struggled
to find just the right way to convey its attributes while simultaneously highlighting its
stellar safety record and acknowledging the potential risks. It’s a tricky balance and has
to be tailored to the person you’re talking to.

Generation Atomic, a non-profit nuclear group that uses “gamifying”
techniques to enhance advocacy, released its Atomic Action app in early
April. The app transforms potentially difficult advocacy conversations into
interactive, digitally enhanced conversations. Users accumulate points
through various actions: for example, 5 points for checking into the
app daily, 50 points for watching a video on nuclear power, 500 points for
knocking on doors, and 2,500 points for posting a selfie with a legislator. True
to its gaming origins, the app includes a leaderboard tracking user progress.

“In a 2014 global poll on peoples’views of different energy sources, only28% of respondents had a favorableopinion of nuclear,” said GenerationAtomic co-founder and organizingdirector Tay Stevenson. “In our earlymodeling, we were hoping we could getpositive responses during 35-40% ofour conversations. After three monthsof piloting with student volunteersknocking on hundreds of doors in StateCollege and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, weare seeing 50-55% of people sign up assupporters.”According to Google Analytics, theapp had more than 335 users in thefirst two weeks after its release, butGeneration Atomic expects that to growquickly. “Currently, our only campuschapters are at University of Pittsburghand Penn State,” said company founderand executive director Eric Meyer.“However, earlier this month we wereholding advocacy trainings at theAmerican Nuclear Society StudentConference and there was a lot of interestin starting chapters in Indiana, Florida,and other states in the fall. This summerwe’ll remain focused on building the pro-nuclear constituency in Pennsylvania andOhio, two states where nuclear is at greatrisk of early abandonment right now.”For both of these items, whatstands out to me is the enthusiasmfor nuclear demonstrated by theseyoung professionals…and soon-to-be professionals. So keep knocking onthose doors, Pitt Panthers and PennState Nittany Lions! And on behalf ofthe nuclear community, Ms. Dewan, weforgive you. Don’t lose your fervor andlove for nuclear – just remember to checkin with the graybeards along the way.